Artificial tooth



Dec. 9, 1924 H. EKLOF ARTIFICIAL TOOTH Filed April 25, 1925 v Sham W04; 1 29117121 E/Zlaf Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

FFIC

HENRIK EKLOF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

' ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

Application filed April 25, 1923.

To aZZ- whom it may concem.

Be it known that I, :HENRIK EKLor, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Teeth, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to artificial teeth, and it relates particularly to porcelain teeth which are produced on a large scale, furnished to professional dentists, and by them shaped to fit in their required positions in the mouths of patients.

In practice the porcelain teeth are each made in the general form of the natural teeth whose place they are intended to take, but in the adaptation of artificial teeth as now produced to their particular positions a great amount of labor is involved. The labor is necessary because an artificial tooth when fixed in the mouth of a user, in order to be satisfactory in all respects, and particularly be capable of long use, must be so seated through the medium of a denture that it will occupy and be firmly seated in exactly the position of the natural tooth which it supplants. This is necessary in order that it may articulate accurately with the tooth, either natural or artificial, opposite it for purposes of mastication, and that if located adjacent to a natural tooth it shall not tend, either by hearing against such adjacent tooth. or by being too widely spaced from it, to induce the loosening or displacement at such natural tooth. Further, the accurate seating and rigid retention of an artificial tooth is essential to insure against aflecting the articulation of speech by a; person in whose mouth it is placed.

Artificial teeth as now produced are formed with a practically plane or slightly concave base. Consequently each tooth, in order to adapt it for its designed location, must have its base shaped to conform to the configuration of the alveolar ridge at the position of the tooth. The shaping of the base of such teeth necessarily composed of a hard, dense material not only requires the expenditure of a large amount of time by a highly trained operative, but frequently involves breakage and the consequent loss of both labor and material.

The primary object of my invention is to provide an artifical teeth which shall be so formed. as to permit of its being placed Serial No. 634,565.

ject which I have in view is to provide an artificial tooth and such means for securing it to a denture that the overlaprfing of the latter on the labial or buccal face of the base of the tooth may be dispensed with in order to present in use the appearance of a natural tooth.

The invention consists generally of a moulded tooth constructed with a concave base of predetermined shape, the shape of the concave corresponding to the longitudinal and transverse configuration of the alveolar ridge at the position where the tooth is to be used. The invention resides further in novel means for securing an artificial tooth to a denture whereby the specified and other advantageous objects are at tained.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of an artificial first molar tooth secured in position on a jaw, the partial denture shown being extended. beyond the socket of the tooth, and for purposes of clearness of illustration no means oi. anchoring the denture is shown.

Figure 2 is a perspective View of a socket to be formed with or secured to a denture, and in which the artificial tooth is to be seated.

Figure 3 is a perspective view, showing the form of the concave base of the artificial tooth.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view. showing the artificial tooth seated in position on the alveolar ridge.

In this drawing 1 represents an artificial tooth, the tooth selected for illustration being a first molar, for the reason that the alveolar ridge at the position of this tooth has a marked characteristic conformation. The base of the tooth, which is preferably of porcelain, is molded when in a plastic condition, and has in it a concave opening or channel 2 extending through the, base from its anterior to its posterior race. ,Trans vastly the concavity cmesptaasm the con tour of the cross section of the alveolar ridge 3, and its posterior portion gradually increases in depth to conform to the tuberosity 4L situated toward the posterior end of the alveolar process.

Extending into the body of the tooth from the wall of the concave base is an opening 5 for the reception of a pin 6 extending from a socket 7 in which the tooth is seated. In order to add strength and rigidity to the fastening afforded by the pin, which is secured in the opening by cement or otherwise, the outer end of the opening is flaring or enlarged, and the base of the pin correspondingly enlarged. Thus while the main portion of the opening may be small in order not to weaken the body of the tooth, the enlargement of its outer end, coacting with the pin of the described form, affords a fastening of sufficient strength successfully to withstand the greatest pressure and strain imposed in the act of mastication.

The base of the crown has on the lingual side thereof a bevel 8 which is widest at its middle portion and tapers at its ends to points where it terminates with its juncture with the labial or buccal side of the crown. By this form a comparatively wide surface is presented where the material of the socket or seat abuts against the base of the crown. preventing cutting of the socket or seat which in practice is burnished against the base of the crown. When the material of the socket is brought to fit closely to the beveled portion of the crown a wide sealed surface which acts as a dam for preventing the entrance of saliva between the socket and the tooth is presented, and thereby the disintegration of the cement employed for securing the attaching pin and for joining the base of the crown to the socket is avoided. The beveled form of the base is also of advantage, in that it permits the removal of the crown when necessary with out injury to the socket or denture.

The advantages attained by the described form of'the base of the crown are numerous.

Primarily, the base is :nlaptcd, with litthor no shaping, perfectly to lit the alveolar ridge at the point at which. it is to be scatcd. The concave form affords a very large hearing surface for the crown over which the force of mastication is distributed without necessitating the distorting of the crown from the form of a natural tooth. Fnrthcr, because of the increase in size of the bcaring surface the area afforded for cen'lenting the crown to its seat or socket is such that a secure lasting attachment may be made without requiring that the material of the scat or socket overlap the labial or buccal portion of the base. Thus this portion of the base may abut i'l'ircctly against the gum, and in this way the crown when in use will be given the appearance of a natural tooth.

I claim:

1. An artificial tooth having a base p ovided with a groove or channel extcndiinr from. the anterior to the posterior face of the tooth, the depth of the groove or channel decreasing from end to end.

2. An artificial tooth having a base pro vided with a groove or channel extending from the anterior to the posterior face of the tooth, the groove or channel decreasing in. depth on a curved line from end to end.

An artificial tooth having a groove or channel in its base, the lingual and labial portions of the base being elongated to ovcrlap and conform to the alveolar rii'lgc, the depth of the groove or channel decreasing from end to end.

4. A. porcelain artificial tooth lntving a groove or channel, which decreases in depth from end to end. formed in the base of the tooth before firing.

5. An artificial tooth lnwing in its basc a groove or channel extending from its anterior to its posterior face. the edge of the base on the lingual side being provided with a bevel which is widest at its lnirldln portion and tapering at its ends.

In testimony whereof I aflix my siu'nalnrc.

HENRIK EKTJOF.

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